Title: Day Off
By: Bridget McKennitt
Pairing: Harry/Severus
Rating: PG
Word Count: 930
Disclaimer: Harry Potter and company are owned by J.K. Rowling and
other companies. They are used here without permission, and for
entertainment purposes only. No challenge or infringement upon the
copyright is intended, nor should any be inferred.
Contains: Mpreg
Author's Notes: Written for the second wave of
United-Meant To Be fest. Challenge: 24. A couple needs to name their first child. Arguments ensue.
Severus held out his arms. "Give him here."
"I'm sorry, sir, but this is hospital rules. You're still too weak to properly hold your son." The nurse flinched as Severus glared at her, making her feel like she was eleven all over again. It did not help that she once had the man as her potions professor once upon a time. "Sir, I'm truly sorry."
"Severus, ease up on her. She's just following hospital procedures." Harry entered the room and smiled at the nurse. "It's not against procedures though for me to hold him, right?"
"Of course not, Mr. Potter!" The nurse giggled and gently handed the baby over to Harry's awaiting arms.
He cradled his son and smiled. "Hello, love."
The nurse nodded and left the room, closing the door behind her. Harry walked to the bed where Severus was and sat down on the covers, careful not to sit on Severus' legs. "Isn't he gorgeous?"
"I wouldn't know, Potter. Some people won't even let me hold my own son, and I was the one who gave birth to him!"
Harry chuckled. "You barely gave birth to him, Severus. I believe I overheard the nurses say that they have never seen anyone so doped up on drugs for labor before in their life. They did most of the work, not you." He leaned and kissed his partner on his temple. "How do you feel?"
"How do you think I feel? I just gave birth to our son; after months of swallowing that disgusting hermaphrodite potion that allowed me to carry him in the first because the Dark Lord cursed you before he died, and no one will let me even hold him." Severus stared at Harry like he was about to pounce him. "Give me my son."
"Ours," he corrected, not even bothered at Severus' look. After living with him for seven years, not to mention the seven years he had known him during his schooling period, there was not much Severus could do to scare Harry. "Speaking of which, what are we going to name him? We never did have the chance to talk about names during your pregnancy." He chuckled. "You threatened to throw the Killing Curse at anyone who dared to even mention you were pregnant, myself included."
"That's easy. His name will be Augustus."
"Ugh, no." Harry glanced down at their sleeping son, shifting him a bit in his arms. "I refuse to give him some uptight wizard name."
Severus stared. "Augustus was my grandfather's name, the good one, anyway."
"Still an uptight wizard name," Harry countered.
"Well, I refuse to name him something stupidly Muggle like Stewart or John. And if you think about naming him after your father, I won't hesitate in ending your life."
"Why not? James is a perfectly good name. It's also my middle name, too." He grinned at their son. "Is that your name? James?"
"I would rather name him after my father than name him James, and that is saying quite a bit, as you know." Harry knew. Severus' father was an arsehole who screamed at his wife and beat his son for fun.
"What was your father's name anyhow?"
"Brutus."
"Okay, so Brutus, James, and Augustus are out. Can I also veto the suggestions of Severus junior and Harry junior?"
Severus nodded thoughtfully. "We wouldn't want that, especially not Harry junior. Your name must be the Wizarding World's most used for naming little boys. See what happens when you're the Boy Who Lived and defeated Voldemort for good?"
Harry snorted. "Yes, because I had any influence in deciding those factors. What about...Ferris? It's a cute name and not pretentious in any way."
"Hmm." Severus thought about it carefully before briskly nodding his head. "I like it. Why are you laughing?" He squinted as Harry tried not to disturb young Ferris with his laughter.
"Nothing, nothing. Just realized Ferris is from a Muggle movie in the 80s." Harry smirked down at the baby in his arms. "Something tells me, Ferris, you'll end up in Slytherin like your father over there." The baby opened his eyes for a brief moment, his light blue eyes (which Harry was assured by the nurse would turn to his shade of green) focusing on Harry before closing them once more. "He looked at me!"
"Potter, if you drop our son, after the months of torture you put me through in the first place to bring him into the world, I will cut off your balls with a rusty dull knife and feed them to you on a silver platter. The good silver platter. Now give Ferris to me, or I may have to do it anyway." Severus held out his arms again.
"Fine, but if the nurse sees you?
"I throw a Killing Curse at her?"
"No!" Harry grumbled. "I wish you all the luck, Ferris, with him." He carefully handed their son over and smiled as Severus' entire body immediately relaxed. Severus looked at their son and kissed his forehead.
"May you never inherit Harry's smarts, or lack thereof," Severus murmured.
"Hey!"
Severus glanced at his partner. "No offense to you, of course. Now, dear, go get me something to eat. I'm famished. And that's an order."
Harry grumbled some more as he left the room while Severus smirked. "He's a Gryffindor, Ferris, but you'll get used to him. I have." He leaned back against the mountain of pillows on his bed and cradled his son even closer to his chest.
He closed his eyes; a rare smile appearing on his face.
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